Brain Scan Reveals Link Between Bipolar Disorder and Suicide Risk

Researchers have discovered a link between brain differences and an increased suicide risk. In a new study, teens and young adults with bipolar disorder underwent brain scans. Participants who had attempted suicide "had slightly less volume and activity in areas of the brain that regulate emotion and impulses." About half of the people diagnosed with bipolar disorder attempt suicide, and as many as one in five die by suicide. According to the study's senior author, "The findings suggest that the frontal cortex is not working as well as it should to regulate the circuitry."